Doesn't really change anything if it's one house or three houses. What I posted here still applies although the connection charges will presumably apply per dwelling.
Entitlement to mains water?
- Thread starter Zeus2020
- Start date
My reading of the first post says 3 houses were supplied from existing well,
I do occasionally wonder about the logistics of having upstairs grey water used to flush downstairs toilets.
Most systems are gravity fed here, simply running a pipe from the tank in the attic to all toilets is the simplest and cheapest option. Any alternative involves additional logistics, and if you want to go for rainwater harvesting then you're adding thousands in equipment and fittings along with the cost of ongoing maintenance of the pump and filtration system along with electricity costs to run the pump.
Most systems will advise that you regularly clean roofs and guttering of moss and debris to prevent the system clogging.
FWIW, I'm somewhat bemused at the sarcasm and complete lack of sympathy in some of the replies to a relatively simple request for advice. I've often thought, with regard to some of the contributors to AAM (yourself included Brendan!), if you don't have anything positive to contribute then perhaps it's best not to say anything at all.
Certainly the OP finds themselves in a dilemma, perhaps not entirely of their own making, although it might well be speculated that more due diligence with regard to a reliable water supply might have been advisable. But be that as it may now that that horse has now bolted.
Ironically, it would seem some of the urban contributors would take grave offence at the "taxpayer" via Uisce Eireann having a public service remit to supply water to an isolated rural dwelling, but would see no contradiction in the necessity for the huge expenditure involved in running a water scheme from the Shannon basin to supply Dublin. In any case there are shades of the great French Pagnol narrative on urban rural divides featured in Jean de Florette and Manon of the Springs about it!
It seems to me the OP has a couple of options, predominantly involving water harvesting. In the days before rural water schemes this was the option for a considerable amount of rural homes. My own home house still retains the sunken block built water tank built in the early 70's, fed by water off the roof, and supplemented in the summertime by delivery from a water tanker (basically a local farmer who drew water from the local lake for a fee). Many rural houses (my man's home place) had these tanks built above ground alongside the house itself. Another noticeable feature of the Mayo rural landscape were water cisterns in fields for watering livestock fed by a concreted or corrugated galvanised run off for channelling the rainwater.
The modern option of these would seem to be a proper prefabricated water tank collecting roof run off, with supplemental pumping and filtrations system involving a fair financial outlay.
The alternative would be to investigate the (probably impractical) option of running a pipeline yourself to the nearest mains connection point. Ideally this would need to be buried, but if you were willing to run the risk of frost damage and had permission from landowners you could technically run it overground. The best alternative option would be to try to negotiate with neighbours with a view to sharing their water supply and running a pipeline from there to the affected houses, or look at an alternative convenient location where a well might be feasibly sunk from where a pipeline could be run at a lesser cost.
In any case good luck in your endeavours and to feck with the begrudgers!
Certainly the OP finds themselves in a dilemma, perhaps not entirely of their own making, although it might well be speculated that more due diligence with regard to a reliable water supply might have been advisable. But be that as it may now that that horse has now bolted.
Ironically, it would seem some of the urban contributors would take grave offence at the "taxpayer" via Uisce Eireann having a public service remit to supply water to an isolated rural dwelling, but would see no contradiction in the necessity for the huge expenditure involved in running a water scheme from the Shannon basin to supply Dublin. In any case there are shades of the great French Pagnol narrative on urban rural divides featured in Jean de Florette and Manon of the Springs about it!
It seems to me the OP has a couple of options, predominantly involving water harvesting. In the days before rural water schemes this was the option for a considerable amount of rural homes. My own home house still retains the sunken block built water tank built in the early 70's, fed by water off the roof, and supplemented in the summertime by delivery from a water tanker (basically a local farmer who drew water from the local lake for a fee). Many rural houses (my man's home place) had these tanks built above ground alongside the house itself. Another noticeable feature of the Mayo rural landscape were water cisterns in fields for watering livestock fed by a concreted or corrugated galvanised run off for channelling the rainwater.
The modern option of these would seem to be a proper prefabricated water tank collecting roof run off, with supplemental pumping and filtrations system involving a fair financial outlay.
The alternative would be to investigate the (probably impractical) option of running a pipeline yourself to the nearest mains connection point. Ideally this would need to be buried, but if you were willing to run the risk of frost damage and had permission from landowners you could technically run it overground. The best alternative option would be to try to negotiate with neighbours with a view to sharing their water supply and running a pipeline from there to the affected houses, or look at an alternative convenient location where a well might be feasibly sunk from where a pipeline could be run at a lesser cost.
In any case good luck in your endeavours and to feck with the begrudgers!
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I presume the OP didn't come here looking for sympathy? Presumably they wanted a simple, honest answer to the question they posed?
Are you sure about that?
Where would the water meter be located? If it's up near the house on their land, then Irish water own it all the way up and it will all have to be done and in accordance with their requirements. They'll want it in the road or road verge. If it's located down near the existing connection and you own it all the way up, then you won't be allow share or subdivide it.
Is it definitely Irish Water or a Group Water Scheme or even a Group Water Scheme under the management of Irish Water? You might have more flexibility with a Group Water Scheme.
Nobody but you dragged the Shannon into this thread.
I don't think that Dublin should get water from the Shannon when Ireland must be the wettest country in Europe ! In addition when this scheme gets going it will likely be another financial disaster like the children's hospital ......Nobody but you dragged the Shannon into this thread.
Like I said "probably impractical". I imagine UE have all kinds of conditions in place prohibiting this kind of thing, so any solution like this would have to be "under the radar"
Sympathy mightn't have been the right word - perhaps a degree of empathy or understanding of the dilemma might have been better
Nobody but you dragged the Shannon into this thread.
Discussions of the public service obligation of UI to provide a water supply to all residents of the country naturally encompass the proposal to pipe water from the Shannon to Dublin, as Dublin is no longer able to adequately regulate it's water consumption or guarantee a supply from the Liffey water shed. Therefore this issue is as relevant to the discussion as supplying isolated rural dwellings.
If leaks were fixed there'd likely be no need for shannon water in Dublin.
To OP's issue, is the issue with drilling the well likely to be the same on all parts of the site?
He literally sold off his water supply, without knowing there was a solution. I do have sympathy for him, but that’s of zero help.Out here in the real world how many of his neighbours will be sympathetic enough to fund him an Irish Water connection or allow him access to their water or allow him to dig thru their land to get to water?
That doesn’t say they have to supply water for free.
It's irrelevant to the original poster's question.
just for clarity the water system is a very old system
Its a spring well in the middle of a field which has been fenced and secured by concrete which flowed via gravity and pipes underground to a central well on the grounds of old house and pumped to farm and all 3 houses via pipes under road
it was done this way 300 years ago just by gravity as the house was built in 1780 and then later a pump was added
We have stuck with this system as the water from the well was beautiful and indeed neighbors from all around would come for the water and even now its not unusual for the odd person to call
but back to present day we still have the well but an electricity pole would have to be brought back to said area for pump and then pumped to houses .Its about 300 feet from house but the field is elevated and as we all know water won't flow uphill
now that I'm writing this , it may be the way to go so any advice welcome.
At this stage I just want a permanent water system and more than willing to pay for it as I have payed for everything my whole life and am not looking for handouts as previous post have stated
Its a spring well in the middle of a field which has been fenced and secured by concrete which flowed via gravity and pipes underground to a central well on the grounds of old house and pumped to farm and all 3 houses via pipes under road
it was done this way 300 years ago just by gravity as the house was built in 1780 and then later a pump was added
We have stuck with this system as the water from the well was beautiful and indeed neighbors from all around would come for the water and even now its not unusual for the odd person to call
but back to present day we still have the well but an electricity pole would have to be brought back to said area for pump and then pumped to houses .Its about 300 feet from house but the field is elevated and as we all know water won't flow uphill
now that I'm writing this , it may be the way to go so any advice welcome.
At this stage I just want a permanent water system and more than willing to pay for it as I have payed for everything my whole life and am not looking for handouts as previous post have stated
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Brendan Burgess
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And now he wants the taxpayer to pay for it?
He has asked if he has a legal entitlement to water or put it another way has he a legal entitlement to demand that the taxpayers pay for supplying him with water after he has sold off his water supply.
I think it's reasonable for a taxpayer to ask for clarification if this is what he wants.
So you kept the water supply? Or is this a different water supply? And you need to get it from the well to the 3 houses, this is very confusing.
But if you need electricity than you'll have to pay for the connection of 300 feet.
Or is the well in the old house which has been sold? If that's the case and the pipes are there, why didn't you transfer a right of way (easement) for the water?
You said family are living in the 3 houses. If the cost to get permanent water is 300K, would each family be willing to pay 100K. Maybe it won't cost that. You need to talk to Irish water and get a figure so you know what is or is not feasible.